A handbook for new diggers?

[kevin wooldridge]

Tacheometry..... I have been racking my brains recently about 'old fashioned' survey techniques after reading an English Heritage publication that claimed plane tabling was still a frequently used technique in UK archaeology....I've been a field archaeologist for 32 years and a surveyor for most of that time and I have never seen a plane table in action, perhaps I have been working in all the wrong places!! Likewise tacheometry - measuring distance by use of a dumpy level or theodolite and a survey staff for those young'uns not taught it in college - why would you want to do this if you have a 30m or 50m tape at hand? Anyway I decided after some thought that actually '3-4-5' triangles are the most precise of low-tech survey solutions...so wouldn't bother with any of that old fashioned glass of water and a thimble survey techniques.

As for the person who forgot to charge the batteries of the EDM or total station, I'm guessing that wasn't a surveyor. Those of us who survey for our daily bread, know the agonies of being forced to use any equipment other than our nearest and dearest survey machine and whilst I will admit to occassional breakdowns (both me and machine!!), I never fail to charge the batteries!! ... Clearly this will be one of the shortest chapters of the proposed manual....'Want to do archaeological survey efficiently and effectively - then employ an archaeological surveyor who knows how to look after the measuring kit and all your Christmasses willl arrive at once' 'Can't afford expensive equipment - use 3-4-5 triangles instead' er....thats it!!